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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
NCAA Championships
Horvath Takes Fourth in Third Career NCAA Smallbore Final
3/8/2024 | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va—The Ole Miss rifle started strong in the first relay, but it sits in seventh going into air rifle on Saturday. Lea Horvath highlighted the first day at the NCAA Championships, securing fourth place in the smallbore finals.
The Rebels sent three to the line for the first relay of the day. Horvath and Martina Gratz rolled through kneeling with 196 and 194, respectively. Horvath went on to dominate prone once again with her third straight perfect prone score, dating back to the NCAA Qualifiers. The senior from Hungary put the finishing touches to a 589 in standing, along with 39 centered shots. She earned a place in the smallbore finals, tying for the sixth-highest overall score.
Despite a tough start, Kristen Derting turned it around with a solid showing, with a standing score of 582, the Rebels' second-highest score. Gratz would finish with a score of 576. Going into the second relay, Ole Miss held the fifth-best score.
However, the Rebels would fall two spots to seventh by the end of the second relay. Emma fired a 581, and Katie Tedeschi hit a 575.
Ole Miss finished on a high note as Horvath competed in the NCAA Smallbore finals. It marked her second straight appearance, taking fifth last season and third during her four-year career. The All-GARC shooter came out firing on all cylinders.
In the finals, Horvath sat in third place through the first 15 kneeling shots, within striking distance of the top two spots. She made her way up two seconds after 10 kneeling shots but fell to sixth to start standing. Horvath slowly worked her way to fourth place, missing out on the podium by 0.1 points.
Ole Miss is back at it for the second and final day of the NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 9. The Rebels and the rest of the field will shoot air rifle to determine the 2024 NCAA Champions.
